Various messaging services are available for sending mobile messages via mobile devices. Such messaging services include, but are not limited to, a Short Message Service (“SMS”), multimedia messaging service (“MMS”), instant messenger (“IM”), chat applications including anonymous chat applications, social network posts/messages (e.g., facebook, twitter, etc.). Each of these messaging services delivers mobile messages (e.g., text messages) to mobile devices, often over a wireless network. Mobile messages (an example of which is a text message and useful for discussion purposes) are often originated on a mobile device by an individual user, and transmitted over one or more carrier networks to be delivered to one or more other mobile devices. Text messages may also be originated outside of the wireless carrier network and submitted into the wireless carrier network via the Internet or other communication channel. In addition to personal communications between mobile device users, text messages may be delivered to mobile devices for many other reasons, including, but not limited to, account notifications, advertising, or delivery of a link to install a mobile device application, for example.
Like other communication channels, users of text messages (or other mobile messages) are often susceptible to unwanted or unsolicited text messages, commonly referred to as “spam.” Some of these text messages may include a URL that links to a website or other content (mobile applications, mobile or other content, etc.). Originators of such text messages (also referred to as “spammers”) send text messages including embedded URL's, hoping that a recipient of the text message (e.g., mobile device user) will take some action, such as, but not limited to, downloading a mobile application.
Delivery of text messages relies on a commonly known numbering plan for device addressing. Originators of spam, (i.e., “spammers”) can address messages to reach mobile devices based on this numbering plan without knowing a specific address of any given mobile device. Wireless carriers grant access for message delivery from an originating address (e.g., SIM card number, mobile device number, device address, IP address, email address, username, user account, or other originating address) to a connection point into their carrier networks through various mechanisms as would be appreciated. In some cases, the originating address and the connection point may be one in the same. Due to the large numbers of connection points into a carrier network, identifying the source of unwanted text messages can be difficult.
Several conventional methods for detecting unwanted messages are in place today. These techniques generally look for patterns in message construction and similarities in messages originating from the same originating address or the same connection point. Once unwanted messages are detected, these techniques typically attempt to block future messages from that originating address or that connection point. Sometimes, this approach generates unintended results. First, the messages may not be unwanted messages. Second, only some, but not all, messages may be unwanted messsages. Third, because originating addresses and/or connection points to a wireless network are plentiful, spammers are readily able to switch to new or different connection point(s) and/or originating address(es) to thwart these efforts.
Other conventional methods permit mobile subscribers (i.e., end users, mobile device users, etc.) to report unwanted messages by, for example, forwarding the unwanted message to a specific address for reporting spam. Such techniques are suboptimal because they require the mobile subscriber to know in advance how to report spam. Further, by forwarding the unwanted message, the originating address and/or the connection point of the unwanted message may be lost.
What is needed is an improved system and method for handling mobile messages with embedded URLs, in particular, those URLs that link to unwanted, inappropriate or potentially malicious content.